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Anonymous | I've zeroed down to Wharfedale Diamond 8.1 and Mission M73i for my fronts. Which is a better speaker? I like a lot of detail. Reciever could be budget stuff from Marantz. |
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Anonnn Unregistered guest | go with Mission, thats a no-brainer. Wharfedale blows! |
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Silver Member Username: Virus5877West Lafayette, Indiana USA Post Number: 175 Registered: Apr-05 | agree...wharfedale is typical overpriced junk. they sound alright, but they can't hang with the mission's. if you get the chance to audition them side by side, do so. although it is not easy to find a mission dealer in the states. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 1746 Registered: Mar-05 | The Diamond 9s are supposed to be much better than the 8s but one thing the 8s can't really be called is "overpriced"---they usually go for under $200 a pair. Speaking of cheap speakers, recently I heard some Infinity Primus 150s and was surprised at how decent they were. Not great, but not bad either for $160 locally. Maybe that Rob Reina guy from Stereophile does know what he's talking about after all... |
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Silver Member Username: T_bomb25Dayton, Ohio United States Post Number: 818 Registered: Jun-05 | Mission are ok but can be very bright,system matching is a must for them.Wharfedale is very good for the money.I have the 8series and the 9 series I think at the price you are looking at like Eddie said the Ifinity Primus 150s are amazing speaker for that kind of money not as good as the 9series but better than the 8 series and they have very good bass down to the mid 40s pretty impressive for a speaker that size and price and you can go to Circuit City and various other chain stores and hear them sweet deal. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 1754 Registered: Mar-05 | Tawaun, I know you dislike Athena so you're probably not the best person ask but I figure what the heck since you've probably heard both speakers and I haven't heard this particular Athena: Athena AS-B1s vs. Infinity 150s? Audioadvisor.com has the B1s for just $100/pair which is tempting. I am so ready to get rid of the horrible Polk R20s that I have in my bedroom! |
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Silver Member Username: T_bomb25Dayton, Ohio United States Post Number: 821 Registered: Jun-05 | The B1s are pretty good,I bought them to pit against my Epos els 3 and I got to listen to them for a few days before the other speakers arrived and they were very good for the money,very very nice bass,very detailed,but a kind of clinical sound so I couldnt get lost in the music.The midrange just didnt bloom so it made voices sound smaller and less throaty,My Diamond 8.1s killed them in the midrange and treble,it wasnt because of the detail,everyting in the lowermidrange sounded small,and because of that you wouldnt be able to tell if a female voice was a alto or Saprano,or with saxes every sax sounded like kennt Gs wimpy what ever kind of sax that is,and then you can put on David Sanborns Alto Sax and they sounded identical,now you know somethings wrong,but it was very powerful and tight in the bass and it excelled with electronic music.The Infinity Primus is a much better speaker and the best I have heard at that price ever they are incredible for the money.To bad Kenny didnt deliver that SDAT bookshelf is very intriging. |
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Silver Member Username: T_bomb25Dayton, Ohio United States Post Number: 822 Registered: Jun-05 | I' ve got an idea Eddie why dont you buy the SDAT bookshelfs and try them with the Panny,hey they dont cost much and you always could send them back,that very well could be the bestbudget system out,I wouldnt bet against those bookshelfs and I've always been a Techniques fan so it could really work out.What do you think? |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 1757 Registered: Mar-05 | hmm, I hadn't thought of that. Which model SDAT are you talking about, the SB-E5? http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?SEC_IID=8770&keywords=SDAT+speakers&y=0& N=2016602266+2016602262+500047+103220&PAGE=ENDECA&x=0 |
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Silver Member Username: T_bomb25Dayton, Ohio United States Post Number: 826 Registered: Jun-05 | Yeah thats the ones and you get the matched stands to,Ive got my mind on them or the Lings for my other room maybe the Panny to,when my Odyssey amp and preamp get here Im putting my Musical Fidelity X-150 on Audiogon. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 1761 Registered: Mar-05 | Whoa, I didn't know they came with those stands. But they're only 18" anyways, that's way too short. So do you have these speakers, and have you compared them against the B1s and 150s? |
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Silver Member Username: T_bomb25Dayton, Ohio United States Post Number: 832 Registered: Jun-05 | No I took the B1s back to bestbuy but just by ear the 150s are great.those stands are not to short thats a big bookshelf,most of the cheaper stands on the market,are really not the height they claim to be,they will be ear level and thats good enough,and it will help to tame some of the brightness a speaker has. |
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Silver Member Username: DonaldekellyWashington, DC Usa Post Number: 379 Registered: Jul-04 | For what it is worth, I have B1s and I like them a lot - overly sharp detail at the high frequencies (look at a graph and see) and surprising bass. Probably Tauwaun is right on the mids being indistinguishable - but I haven't listened critically enough to notice that. The treble is nice on jazz guitar. I think the exaggerated high treble could get old but the bass and the price are very nice. I should sell mine since I have two pairs of better speakers - but can't bring myself to do it. |
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Silver Member Username: DonaldekellyWashington, DC Usa Post Number: 380 Registered: Jul-04 | http://www.soundstagemagazine.com/measurements/athena_asb1/ Athena b1 FR graph |
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Silver Member Username: DonaldekellyWashington, DC Usa Post Number: 381 Registered: Jul-04 | For comparison http://www.soundstagemagazine.com/measurements/ascend_cbm170/ Ascend 170 graph - the flattest of the three brands I own. I usually look at the listening window graphs the most. |
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Silver Member Username: DonaldekellyWashington, DC Usa Post Number: 382 Registered: Jul-04 | Those big dips in the Athena b1s mid frequencies probably explain what Tawaun heard: quote "...everyting in the lowermidrange sounded small,and because of that you wouldnt be able to tell if a female voice was a alto or Saprano,or with saxes every sax sounded like kennt Gs wimpy what ever kind of sax that is,and then you can put on David Sanborns Alto Sax and they sounded identical,now you know somethings wrong." Sorry for the monologue |
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Silver Member Username: T_bomb25Dayton, Ohio United States Post Number: 834 Registered: Jun-05 | Pretty good measurements for the money,it does gradually rise from about 3khtz though could explain why it could be atouch bright and a little lean in the midrange. |
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Anonymous | Ok, this isn't about B1s, Athenas, Ascends, SDATs or Infinitys. I need your advice on choices between Wharfedale Diamond 8.1 and Mission m73i. I'll be using Marantz SR4400/4200 as my amp. Remember, I want detail and strong mids/highs. Thanks Anonnn and Cyrus. |
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Bronze Member Username: Black05hemiSo Cal Post Number: 13 Registered: Jun-05 | Well, I use to own the Wharfedale Daimond 8.3's...I thought they were good, till I bought Athena AS-F2's..After hearing the Athena's, the Wharfedale's sounded muffled or something...I've never heard the Mission's...But, I personally will never buy Wharfedale again... |
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Silver Member Username: ShahrukhdMumbai, Maharashtra India Post Number: 121 Registered: Nov-04 | See, one is a bookshelf. One's a floorstander. Each has it's own qualities. |
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Silver Member Username: T_bomb25Dayton, Ohio United States Post Number: 882 Registered: Jun-05 | I also owned the 8.3s and I never heard What you are talking about,that was one of the finest all around speakers around for the money. |
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Double A Ron Unregistered guest | Dear Anonymous, I have a Marantz SR4200 hooked up to wharfedale 8.4 fronts, 8.3 rears, and 8 centre channel, with a real acoustics 12" sub. I took my amp to the speaker shops and hooked it up to any I was interested in, cause I found that any speaker can sound drastically different when hooked up to different amps. Anyways, after trying energy, paradigm, mirage, klipsh, mission, and jl lab I found the wharfedale to be the best match to this amp as they are 6ohm, so the 70 watt amp has a easier time powering them in comparison to an 8ohm speaker. Despite what some haters say, this speaker series is well built, and has technology found in speakers costing twice as much. There is a reason they are the best selling speaker in the UK. I had the 8.3's hooked up solely until they were broke in, and personally, I found them a bit bright until broken in, midrange is tight, but don't expect much in the way of bass unless you upgrade to the 8.4 which has ample bass. Of course the only limit on these is rock music, which requires more amp wattage to sound really good. Anyways, in my opinion, for the price, you will not find another speaker that sounds as good as these will. |
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Silver Member Username: DanmanQUEBEC CANADA Post Number: 484 Registered: Apr-04 | I also agree that Wharfedales are a great speaker. I personally don't understand some of the criticsm but to each hs own. I was introduced to them by sheer accident and never thought about them before. This may have helped me decide without being biased. I compared my 9.6's to many brands on the floor that costs much more and still chose them and to this day, have NO regrets. I also never believed in speaker burn in until owning them! At first when I received them at home I thought that I made a mistake. I previously owned the AXIOM M60's and still had them to compare to. After about a week, I started to notice a big improvement and thought it was psychological. But "A" and "B" tests together proved my theory wrong. My AXIOMS would make my ears bleed after about an hour and I did not particularily like their sound. The Wharfedales make me happy and I saved a lot of money in the meantime. I know that I have a lot of jelous friends that paid a lot more for their system then I did that's for sure! |
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Anonymous | So you guys agree that Wharfedale Diamond 8.1 is a far better bet than the Mission M73i?? |
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Silver Member Username: DanmanQUEBEC CANADA Post Number: 486 Registered: Apr-04 | Only if your ears say so! I don't think it is which one is better only which one is better to you! If you said Diamond 9.1, I would say definately yes! |
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Gold Member Username: DmwileyPost Number: 1013 Registered: Feb-05 | The answer is simple: listen and decide what is "better" to your ears unless by better you mean which is constructed out of superior materials. |
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Anonymous | ? |
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Gold Member Username: DmwileyPost Number: 1017 Registered: Feb-05 | ? back at you. Hope this helps. Ask a stupid question... |
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Silver Member Username: DanmanQUEBEC CANADA Post Number: 489 Registered: Apr-04 | I belive the speakers he is referring to are of about equal quality so it comes down to personal choice. |
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Gold Member Username: DmwileyPost Number: 1020 Registered: Feb-05 | Agreed. Why does he need someone to tell him that? I would hope that there is something between his ears other than air. But one wonders. |
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Silver Member Username: DanmanQUEBEC CANADA Post Number: 491 Registered: Apr-04 | Now, now...........be nice! |
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Silver Member Username: ShahrukhdMumbai, Maharashtra India Post Number: 123 Registered: Nov-04 | Danman, do you really think that the Mission m73i and the Diamonds are of equal quality? Do the missions reach the highs that the Wharfies do? Are they as detailed? I'm not too sure. |
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Gold Member Username: DmwileyPost Number: 1023 Registered: Feb-05 | OK, Danman. I'll try. But it's contrary to my nature. |
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Silver Member Username: DanmanQUEBEC CANADA Post Number: 497 Registered: Apr-04 | Shahrukh D I personally like the Wharfedales much more but I was talikng about the build quality. Sounds better is in the ear of the beholder! I try to stay away from the word "crap" concerning any gear because one man's "crap" is another man's gold! The initial question was the Diamond 8.1 compared to the m73i. One is a bookshelf and the other a small floorstander. Kind of a hard decision here. One is much cheaper (price wise) than the other. Compare them to the 9.4 and my answer would be easier! |